Loose-Leaf Letter #5: Mixtape Musings
a personal playlist of encouragement + Zoom link for Friday
“Don’t hold on to a song.”
That’s been my motto since I was ten years old.
In my lemon-yellow bedroom with shag green carpet, I’d spend hours making mixtapes for friends and family. Later, I became a master at burning CDs, which I slid into hand-decorated covers that I would mail long distances to excited recipients.
When computers no longer came with that handy slot for burning CDs, I was quite devastated.
How am I going to send songs to people when they need a lift? I wondered.
The solution was quite simple. If a song reminded me of someone or their situation, I would find a link to the song online, and I’d send it to them digitally. Although this gesture involved minimal effort and had no pretty cover, the recipient’s reaction indicated it was still a gift.
“You gave me song, and it was just what I needed to hear.”
That’s what my friend
said years ago when I sent her a musical lifeline. She was 1000 miles away, unpacking boxes in her new place for her new life… after so much change… after so much pain.I just knew Katrina needed to know Snow Patrol had written her a song.
After playing it on repeat for 24 hours straight, my friend shared the song on social media in case it was someone else’s song too.
Like me, Katrina knows you don’t hold on to a song. She knows music has the power to carry us through. Katrina also knows what I sound like singing along at live concerts because I always send her an obnoxious video.
When I am not singing along, I am listening.
I covet the stories told in between the songs as much as the songs themselves.
I remember when SYML told the story of “Girl”, an ode to his daughter who overcame serious health challenges at the mere age of two…
I remember when Justin Furstenfeld of Blue October recounted the divine sign he received from a wasp trying to fly into a can labeled “wasp killer,” a turning point during rehab…
I remember when Noah Kahan vulnerably shared with an audience of 50,000 that therapy didn’t work until he started telling the truth…
And then there was Mat Kearney’s story of singing to empty rooms for years and years at the start of his career.
“Even though it seemed like no one was listening,” Mat said gently strumming his guitar during a rare meet & greet, “I kept singing the songs I wrote as prayers, not answers to questions.”
In my latest book, Soul Shift, I share several stories about the impact of songs on my healing journey. I make a point to say that I don’t believe songs of impact come only in musical form. I write:
Every single one of us possess notes and melodies that have the potential to become a comforting anthem for someone else. These songs can come in musical form, like the songs Avery sings, but they can also come in action form like the ones Natalie creates with flour and butter, seeds and soil.
Each one of us has a song that can better our world. Please don’t let the naysayers shut you down. And should they try, please remember these words…
You have a song,
and I have a song.
It will take courage to share it,
because not everyone will understand it.
Some will find fault in even the most beautiful tune.
But this process of offering our songs is not about everyone;
it’s about one—
the one who needs the very song you wrote.
the one who feels less alone because of your voice.
the one who feels brave because she sees you being brave.
About a month ago, I made a playlist of songs that I’ve been listening to on repeat. Each song has a line or two that inspires me to keep “coloring myself in”, a powerful description offered by one of our community members about the process of self-discovery.
Of course, I am giving you the playlist to honor my wise, younger self that knew it wasn’t right to hold on to song. Paid subscribers will find the 15-song playlist below, along with the Zoom link to our live treehouse gathering on Friday, March 15.
If you’re a free subscriber and would like to participate in these uplifting gatherings, as well as have the full community experience here at the treehouse, please upgrade your subscription by clicking this button
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